LifeSeeds - The China Rural Health Initiative (CRHI)

Project status:

Archived

Fact sheet

LifeSeeds is the flagship project of The George Institute, China. It is aimed at addressing one of China's pivotal health needs namely, reducing cardiovascular disease and closing treatment and health management gaps in the provision of primary health services in rural China. 120 villages from five of the Northern provinces of China - Hebei, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shanxi, and Shaanxi - will participate and benefit from the various elements of the implementation of LifeSeeds over the first two years of the project.

This initiative is a trial evaluating the effects of a primary care program and salt reduction study on reducing cardiovascular risk in rural China.

Annually, eight million people die from heart disease and stroke alone. The majority of these and other deaths caused by chronic disease occur in the developing world where victims are often workers, whose deaths directly result in poverty for families and other dependents. These deaths are largely avoidable, and substantive effort to address this issue must take place now.

Professor Stephen MacMahon
Principal Director, The George Institute

Aims

The project aims to evaluate the separate effects of two novel intervention programs that target cardiovascular disease in rural China. This is done through the Health Care Provider Program, a primary care-based program that enhances the identification and medical management of individuals at high cardiovascular risk. The Initiative also has a Community-based Education Program, active in 120 villages from five different regions of China, that is working to reduce overall salt consumption in the population.

Timeline

The project will run from 2010-2013.

Project sites

Hebei Province, China

Liaoning Province, China

Ningxia Province, China

Shaanxi Province, China

Shanxi Province, China

Deliverables

Increased health services to 120 villages from five of the Northern provinces of China: Hebei, Liaoning, Ningxia, Shanxi, and Shaanxi

The program will train 95 village doctors in the participating townships to identify cardiovascular diseases

LifeSeeds will carry out the first ever comprehensive health survey of local villagers

Establish a mobile phone network to inform local people with cardiovascular conditions how best to manage their treatment